The Ultimate Broccoli Pasta Recipe: Quick, Easy, and Delicious

Are you on the hunt for a weeknight dinner that is not only wholesome and bursting with flavour but can also be ready in less than 30 minutes? A meal that feels both comforting and wonderfully light, sure to please the entire family without any fuss? You have certainly come to the right place. We firmly believe that the most memorable meals are born from simple ingredients treated with a little love and care. This philosophy is at the very heart of our ultimate Broccoli Pasta Recipe, a dish that beautifully demonstrates that you don’t need an extensive shopping list or complex techniques to achieve culinary delight.

This recipe is a true ode to simplicity. It masterfully combines the earthy, vibrant bite of broccoli with the aromatic warmth of garlic, the zesty tang of fresh lemon, and the salty, savoury depth of Parmesan cheese. All these elements are tossed through perfectly cooked pasta, creating a delightful harmony of textures and flavours in every forkful. It is the sort of meal we find ourselves returning to again and again, whether we’re in need of a speedy lunch or a dependable dinner that never fails to satisfy. So, let’s get our aprons on and create something beautiful and nourishing together.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Ready in a Flash: From the moment you start to the minute it’s served, this dish comes together in the time it takes to cook the pasta. It’s our go-to solution for those hectic evenings when time is short but the desire for a proper home-cooked meal is strong.
• Kind to Your Wallet: This recipe is built around simple, affordable kitchen staples such as pasta, broccoli, and garlic. It serves as delicious proof that eating well doesn’t have to be expensive.
• Full of Flavour and Nutrients: We make no compromises on taste! The blend of garlic, lemon, chilli flakes, and Parmesan delivers a robust flavour profile, while the broccoli offers a fantastic helping of essential vitamins and fibre.
• Wonderfully Adaptable: We encourage you to view this recipe as a brilliant foundation. You can effortlessly boost it with protein like grilled chicken or chickpeas, add other vegetables, or enrich it with a dash of cream. It’s incredibly easy to tailor to your own preferences.
• A Guaranteed Family Favourite: It’s a dish that manages to be both sophisticated and straightforward, appealing to grown-ups and children alike. Its bright flavours and satisfying character make it a definite winner at the dinner table.

Ingredients for Your Broccoli Pasta

One of the most appealing aspects of this recipe is its wonderfully uncomplicated list of ingredients. We are using classic components that complement each other perfectly. Here is everything you will need:

• Pasta: 400g of your preferred short pasta. Orecchiette, or ‘little ears’, are a traditional choice and are shaped perfectly for cradling the sauce, but penne, fusilli, or rigatoni are also excellent alternatives.
• Broccoli: 1 large head (approximately 500g), trimmed into small, bite-sized florets. We recommend not throwing away the stalk—simply peel and chop it finely to introduce more texture and minimise food waste.
• Garlic: 4-6 cloves, sliced thinly. Please feel free to adjust this amount depending on your personal fondness for garlic!
• Olive Oil: 4 tablespoons of a good-quality extra virgin olive oil to form the base of our sauce.
• Red Chilli Flakes: ½ teaspoon, or a little more if you enjoy a gentle warmth in your dishes.
• Lemon: 1, from which we’ll use both the zest and the juice. This provides an essential brightness that elegantly cuts through the other flavours.
• Parmesan Cheese: 50g, freshly grated, with a little extra set aside for serving. Using freshly grated cheese makes a world of difference, as it melts more smoothly and offers a far superior taste.
• Salt and Black Pepper: To season to your liking.
• Pasta Water: Around 120ml (½ cup) of the starchy cooking water. This is our secret weapon for creating a luxuriously silky sauce!

Step-by-Step Guide to Making the Perfect Broccoli Pasta

If you follow these straightforward steps, you will have a spectacular meal on the table in no time at all. Our top tip is to have all your ingredients measured and prepared before you even begin cooking.

1. Cook the Pasta and Broccoli Together: First, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a vigorous boil. Tip in the pasta and cook it following the packet instructions, but aim for 2-3 minutes less than the suggested time so it’s perfectly al dente. For the final 3 minutes of the pasta’s cooking time, add the broccoli florets directly into the pot. This is a fantastic method that cooks them to perfection and saves on washing up!
2. Save That Precious Pasta Water: Just before you drain the pasta and broccoli, use a mug or a heatproof jug to carefully scoop out about 240ml (1 cup) of the starchy cooking water. This liquid is like gold dust and is absolutely crucial for building our sauce. Now, drain the pasta and broccoli and set them aside for a moment.
3. Build the Aromatic Base: While your pasta is on the boil, set a large frying pan or skillet over a medium heat. Pour in the extra virgin olive oil. Once you see it shimmer slightly, add the sliced garlic and red chilli flakes. Sauté gently for 1-2 minutes until the garlic releases its wonderful aroma and is just starting to colour. You must be careful not to let it burn, as this will make it taste bitter.
4. Combine Everything Beautifully: Add the drained pasta and broccoli into the frying pan with the fragrant garlic and chilli oil. Pour in approximately 120ml (½ cup) of your reserved pasta water. Toss everything together with energy over the heat. You will see the starch from the water emulsify with the oil, creating a light, glossy sauce that coats every single piece. This is how we achieve a perfect Garlic broccoli pasta.
5. Add the Finishing Touches: Take the pan off the heat. Stir in the freshly grated Parmesan cheese, the zest and juice of your lemon, and a generous crack of black pepper. Toss it all together one last time until the cheese has melted and the sauce has beautifully enveloped the pasta and broccoli. If it seems a touch too thick, simply add another small splash of pasta water to reach your ideal consistency.
6. Serve and Enjoy: Share the pasta between warmed bowls. We love to garnish ours with an extra dusting of Parmesan, a final drizzle of good olive oil, and another twist of black pepper. Serve it straight away and savour every delicious mouthful.

Choosing the Best Pasta Shape

Although you can certainly use whatever pasta you have in your cupboard, we find that certain shapes are exceptionally suited to this dish. We wholeheartedly recommend trying Orecchiette with broccoli, a timeless pairing from Southern Italy. The delightful cup-like form of orecchiette is simply ideal for catching the tiny broccoli florets and the garlic-infused sauce. Other fantastic choices include fusilli, as its corkscrew shape traps the sauce brilliantly, or penne, which holds the sauce within its tubes.

Variations and Customisations

This recipe serves as a wonderful canvas for your own culinary imagination. Here are a few of our favourite ways to personalise it:

• Add a Protein Punch: To make it an even more substantial meal, we suggest introducing a source of protein. Pan-seared chicken breast, sautéed king prawns, or even a tin of cannellini beans or chickpeas would all be wonderful additions. For a tasty chicken idea, you could take some inspiration from our Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta Recipe.
• Make It Creamy: If you find yourself in the mood for something a bit richer, try stirring in a few spoonfuls of double cream, crème fraîche, or even creamy ricotta cheese right at the very end.
• Boost the Veggies: Please feel free to incorporate other quick-cooking vegetables alongside the broccoli. Tender asparagus tips, sweet frozen peas, or a handful of fresh spinach would all work beautifully.
• Turn Up the Flavour: For an extra layer of savoury complexity, you could add a couple of finely chopped anchovy fillets to the oil along with the garlic. They will dissolve into the sauce, imparting a fantastic umami kick without any fishiness.

A Truly Great Vegetarian Pasta Dish

This recipe truly shines as a fantastic Vegetarian pasta with broccoli. It is satisfying, packed with flavour, and nutritionally balanced, showing that you absolutely do not need meat to make a hearty and fulfilling meal. Broccoli is a nutritional champion, loaded with vitamins K and C, folate, and fibre. To discover more about its amazing qualities, you can read this guide from BBC Good Food on the health benefits of broccoli.

By pairing this super-vegetable with whole-grain pasta and the healthy fats from olive oil, you are creating a genuinely Healthy pasta dish that nourishes your body while delighting your palate. It is the kind of meal that simply makes you feel good from the inside out. For those of you seeking more simple yet healthy meal inspiration, our Garlic Butter Chicken And Veggies recipe provides another quick and flavour-packed option.

FAQ

A Perfect Pasta Dish for Any Occasion

So, there we have it – a simple, elegant, and utterly delightful broccoli pasta that we are confident will become a firm favourite in your recipe collection. It’s a wonderful testament to the idea that just a handful of well-chosen ingredients can be transformed into something truly special. This recipe is more than just a plate of food; it’s a quick culinary trip to a sun-drenched Italian trattoria, a comforting embrace in a bowl, and a trusted companion on a busy weeknight.

We truly hope you give this easy broccoli pasta recipe a try. We encourage you to experiment with the ingredients, make it your own, and rediscover the simple joy of creating a beautiful meal from scratch. We would be thrilled to hear how you get on! Please do leave a comment below to share your thoughts or any creative variations you discover. Happy cooking!

Easy Healthy Broccoli Pasta Dinner

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A vibrant and flavourful dish that brings together tender broccoli, zesty lemon, and savoury Parmesan. Perfect for a quick and wholesome weeknight meal.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 400g short pasta (like orecchiette or penne)
• 1 large head of broccoli (about 500g), in small florets
• 4-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp red chilli flakes
• 1 lemon (zest and juice)
• 50g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (plus extra for serving)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, adding the broccoli florets for the final 3 minutes of cooking.
2. Before draining, reserve about 240ml (1 cup) of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta and broccoli.
3. In a large frying pan, gently sauté the sliced garlic and chilli flakes in olive oil over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
4. Add the drained pasta and broccoli to the pan along with 120ml (½ cup) of the reserved pasta water. Toss vigorously to create a light, glossy sauce.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Season with black pepper.
6. Toss everything to combine, adding more pasta water if needed for consistency. Serve immediately with extra Parmesan.

Nutrition (per serving):
Calories: 450 kcal
Protein: 18 g
Carbs: 70 g
Fat: 12 g